Tigerstar's Hatred
by Ivypool
Summary: We all know Tigerstar as an evil murder, the leader of the Dark Forest. But he wasn't always that way. At one point he was a small, innocent kit in the nursery, and then an easily excitable apprentice. So how did he become known as so evil? Why did he make the choices he had made? Find out from his point of view. Big spoiler warning. Erin Hunter owns Warriors.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to Tigerstar's Hatred. This story will be about Tigerstar's point of view throughout the books. Be ready for spoilers if you have not read every book. I put a lot of research and planning into this, trying to line it up the best I can with the series. It is important to note that I have not read Tigerstar's novella by the authors, so I will be filling in the time as a rouge and as ShadowClan's leader with my own ideas. As well, many of the early events I will have made up. Please, read and review.**

 **I do not own any of these characters, nor do I own the Warriors series. Erin Hunter owns Warriors.**

"Do you even know where we are going, Mosskit?"

"Of course I do- Ow! You stepped on my tail!"

"Well, if I could see my paws in front of me I wouldn't have done that!"

A thick mist clouded the three kits' vision, swirling lazily around their paws. Their peering eyes could hardly see a mouse-length further than their nose. The ground beneath them had long ago become hard, rough edged stone that scraped their paws, and as they continued onward the sky empty sky seemed to only further darken.

The leader of the kits, young Mosskit with stars in her gray-and-white fur, let out a frustrated huff. "I can't believe this is happening again."

"I knew we shouldn't have followed you again. You got us lost last time." The white she-kit Blossomkit sighed, but padded forward too. They had tried to turn back around a long time ago and return to the trees. But the vast, swirling emptiness seemed to stretch on forever. They were likely completely off course, and they had no idea which way was back to their StarClan home.

"Maybe that nice cat, Rock will help us again." Adderkit suggested lightly.

With no one else offering words of complaint or encouragement, the three fell into an uncomfortable silence. With their thoughts stuck on the hope of Rock coming to their rescue once again, they padded forward slowly. The sky was becoming even darker, stars no longer visible within the now dull gray stretch above them. The mist was thinning though, and an odd shape appeared through the fog.

"What is that?" Blossomkit was the first to see it. It was bigger than them, and very still. Its tail flickered slowly on the ground, and its ear swiveled around at the sound of their paused in her steps and drew in a deep breath. The thick fog dampened the smell, and clouded her scenes. She couldn't tell who this stranger was.

"I don't know." Mosskit meowed cautiously. They padded closer still, now each in a low crouch as they approached the cat.

The tom before them was tall, with a dark tabby pelt that was crossed with scars. His head turned at the sound of their approach, and his amber eyes blinked down at them slowly. The kits froze with realization of who it was.

"T-Tigerstar!" Adderkit gasped, looking as if he was about to run. Blossomkit trembled beside him, cowering low to the ground.

"Hello, young kits." Tigerstar's voice was deep and calm, not nearly as fierce as the kits had imagined. "You are far from StarClan."

Adderkit turned to Mosskit angrily, his small ears flattening on his head. "See what happens when we don't listen to Bluestar? We run into evil cats like him!" He shot a look at Tigerstar. "How is he even still alive?"

"Cats who aren't forgotten must end up somewhere." Tigerstar mused, looking down at them in the dark. "I do not simply vanish. But the story you know of me, is very much told wrong. Tell me, kits, what are your names?"

"I am Mosskit." The young she-kit spoke up bravely. "These are my friends- Adderkit, and Blossomkit."

Blossomkit sat down in front of the large tabby. "What do you mean, your story is told wrong?" She asked curiously, wondering about the tabby's strange words.

"I am not as 'evil' as one may think." Tigerstar told them, crouching down to get a better view of the three. "Gather around, kits, and let me tell you a story. But in this story, I am the unlucky warrior only trying to save the Clans from the growing darkness... And it starts with my first memory, before I was even a single moon old..."


	2. Chapter 2

_I was born the weakest of the litter, and shared the attention with my bigger sisters. You may know them, Nightkit and Mistkit were their names. My mother was Leopardfoot, a strong warrior for ThunderClan and very brave. My father however, is Pinestar. As leader of ThunderClan, you'd expect me to be proud of his accomplishments, but it is quite the opposite. My first memory, was of him knowingly breaking the warrior code and abandoning his Clan._

Tigerkit growled playfully and leapt forward. His paws caught on the tip of a reddish-brown tail, which flicked easily up and out of his grasp. "Get back here!" Tigerkit gasped, and jumped for it again.

But the tail still flicked just out of his reach. Pinestar turned to look at him, and purred in soft amusement. "Ah, my mighty warrior." His deep voice meowed. "You have left your nest without your mother or sisters, have you?" He asked, leaning down and touching noses with his son gently.

"That's right!" Tigerkit nodded proudly. "An adventure." He told his father, though his mother new very well where he was, for she was sat and peering through the entrance of the nursery at that moment.

"Well, don't let me stop you from your exploring." Pinestar's whiskers twitched. One large paw came over to bat Tigerkit's side playfully. Being so small, the gentle blow knocked him off balance and he stumbled sideways, but he quickly recovered his footing and swatted back at the large tom with clumsy blows.

It was that moment though that a large ginger tom walked up. He gazed down at Tigerkit in shared amusement, before turning to Pinestar. "Sorry to interrupt, Pinestar, but ShadowClan has been scented on our side of the border." He reported to the leader. "The remains of a killed bird has been found too."

And just like that, Tigerkit was forgotten. Pinestar stood up and shook out his pelt, his playful expression turned serious. "Again?" He questioned with an irritated tone. His tail lashed with his annoyance, and Tigerkit ducked to avoid getting hit. "Gather me three warriors, Sunfall, I would like to take a look for myself."

"Of course, Pinestar." Sunfall nodded and began to pad away in search of cats for the patrol.

Pinestar began to follow his deputy, but Tigerkit hurried a few steps forward. "What about me?" He asked hopefully, looking upward at his father. "What about our game?"

The leader stopped in his tracks and looked down at his son. "We can play later." He told him firmly. "Go back to the nursery, your mother must be wondering where you are by now." And with that, the brown tom turned and stalked over to the gathering patrol.

Tigerkit was left standing alone in the middle of camp, watching his father talk with the warriors before they all left the camp. For a heartbeat he thought of following, but instead he turned and returned to the nursery like Pinestar had suggested. He bounded through the entrance, and paused just inside to breathe in the familiar warmth and scent of milk.

He made his way back to where Leopardfoot was laying curled in her nest with his two sickly sisters. Leopardfoot lifted him into the nest, and he quickly made himself comfortable close to her front paws. She purred tiredly and gave him a loving lick over his ear.

"Leopardfoot?" He asked quietly, "Why is Pinestar so busy?"

She queen shifted in her nest, and brought her tail up to cover Tigerkit's sisters and keep them warm. "Your father is a very important cat." She told him with a soft voice. "He has many responsibilities to hold within his Clan, and many cats to protect. He believes in the wellness and safety of the Clan over his own, and he works hard to stick by that." She paused, then continued with a sigh. "He may not always have time for you- or for me- but he tries his best, and that is what a good leader should do. You should be proud of how good of a warrior your father is. Do you understand?"

Tigerkit nodded slowly, thinking it over in his head. "I think so." He said.

"Good," Leopardfoot meowed. "Now, if you want to be able to explore more tomorrow, you need some sleep."

* * *

"What is all that noise about?" Leopardfoot muttered irritably, making Tigerkit look up. Outside the nursery there were many raised voices, and Leopardfoot stood up to stand at the den entrance and watch. Tigerkit waited for her beside Nightkit and Mistkit, peering over the moss and watching Leopardfoot's quivering tail, and her ears fold back with a hiss.

What was wrong? He wondered, stepping out of the nest now. He couldn't quite hear what the cats were saying outside, but they didn't sound happy. Leopardfoot turned to them now, her narrowed eyes falling on the sight of her three kits. "Come on you three," She padded forward and lifted Mistkit and Nightkit out of their nests. "Let's go outside and see your father." But her voice wasn't in the soft tone that Tigerkit was used to, it was bitter and fierce.

He followed behind with his two quiet sisters, as Leopardfoot lead them out of the nursery. He blinked in the sunlight outside of the dark den, and stared when he realized that the whole Clan was present in the camp. Currently, he could only hear one cat talking. "...tell Sunfall I would have called you Lionheart."

Pinestar! Tigerkit felt excitement fill him at the sound of his father, and he followed close behind Leopardfoot as she stalked forward through the crowd of cats. She came to stand in front of Pinestar, and she asked him, "Pinestar, what about our kits? Won't you stay to watch them grow up?" She nodded in the direction of Tigerkit, Nightkit, and Mistkit, who had stopped just beside her. Both Mistkit and Nightkit were crouched down weakly, their eyes glazed as they trembled out in the open.

Tigerkit however, wasn't listening to his mother's desperate words, and was instead watching Pinestar's slowly flicking tail. He pounced forward and grabbed it in his paws, biting down on the end of it. He gasped as Pinestar gently drew it away, up and out of reach.

"They'll be fine with you, Leopardfoot." Pinestar meowed. "I'm not a father they could be proud of, but I will always be proud of them. Especially you, little warrior." Pinestar reached down and touched his muzzle to Tigerkit's ears. Tigerkit looked up with joy, not quite understanding the meaning behind his words but understanding the word 'warrior'. He growled playfully at his father.

"Be strong, my precious son." Pinestar murmured. "Serve your Clan well." And then with a nod, the leader turned and padded through the gorse tunnel, and out into the forest. Once again, Tigerkit was standing by himself. He watched his father disappear from sight, and turned to look at his mother in confusion. Pinestar left?

But before he could open his mouth to ask her why, the Clan's voices rose loudly once more.

"We have no leader!" Cried Speckletail, pelt bristling with worry.

"Sunfall is our leader now." Tawnyspots pointed out.

"But he hasn't been blessed by StarClan." Sparrowpelt reminded them.

Tigerkit didn't get to hear much else of the meeting as Sunfall leapt onto the Highrock. Leopardfoot was already leading them away from the crowd, picking up Nightkit by her scruff and using her tail to usher Mistkit along too. Tigerkit followed them to the nursery hesitantly, glancing over his shoulder once or twice to see how distraught the Clan was with Pinestar's absence.

Entering the nursery, he settled down beside his trembling mother. She hid her face in her paws, taking shaky breaths. Tigerkit, confused and saddened by his mother's actions, wriggled up to his normal spot between her paws. She looked down at him with sad eyes, and gave him one tender lick.


	3. Chapter 3

_With the death of my sisters, my mother began to grieve deeply. And without any other kits in the nursery, I was left to my own devices most of the time. I can still remember listening to the warriors as a kit, and overhearing their bitter conversations about my father. After hearing how badly Pinestar betrayed his Clan, I vowed to never become one or fall into their influence myself. The kittypet life is one of softness, which does not belong anywhere near Clan life._

Tigerkit growled as a beetle scurried just past his nose. "Get back here!" He yelled and jumped up. Padding along beside it, he batted it sideways with one paw. As it sprouted wings and prepared to fly, Tigerkit leapt and caught it in the air. Clasped with his prey between his paws, he dropped to the ground and bit it. With it dead, Tigerkit quickly grew bored as the improve game came to an end.

This is what his life had been for the past few days: boredom. He frowned downwards at the dead beetle. Leopardfoot had confined herself to the nursery, after the death of Nightkit and Mistkit, and she was grieving so deeply it was as if Tigerkit wasn't even there. Tigerkit felt very little loss for his sisters however, as they never really said or did much in the first place. His eyes wandered over to stare at the nursery entrance, but his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"I just can't believe he'd leave like that." Tigerkit looked over to see Adderfang exiting the warriors den in preparation for the dawn patrol. Behind him, Poppydawn and Stormtail followed. Tigerkit stood there openly and listened to their conversation.

"He betrayed all of us by leaving." Adderfang continued with a growl. "What kind of leader does he think he is? Becoming a _kittypet_ like that!"

Stormtail snorted, "I doubt he's even fit for a leader's name is StarClan's eyes. We might as well be calling him Pineheart again."

Tigerkit took a couple steps backwards to avoid behind seen, ducking into the shadows of the warriors den. The three cats had stopped in the middle of camp now, and Tigerkit pricked his ears to listen more closely from his hiding spot.

"I feel bad for little Tigerkit though," Poppydawn was saying, her voice low with sympathy. "Not only did his father abandon the Clan for kittypet life, but wih his littermates dying just days after? Oh, and poor Leopardfoot. She must be devastated!" Her eyes shifted to look at the nursery entrance with worry.

Tigerkit let out a breath he had been holding, his gaze moving to look at the nursery as well. These warriors didn't like Pinestar, he thought. But Leopardfoot had told him to be proud of his father, and his hard work. Why weren't they proud of him too? Was it because he left? Why exactly did he leave? According to Leopardfoot, a leader always puts his Clan before himself. By leaving his Clan, Pinestar wasn't doing his duty, was he? Tigerkit's eyes shifted back to the three cats who were now leaving camp for patrol, and his eyes narrowed. Then he would serve his Clan properly, he decided. He would put his Clan above himself always. But first, he needed to know why Pinestar had left exactly.

So with new found determination, he bounded back over to the nursery and slipped inside. Once inside the dark den though, he found that his mother was deeply asleep. But Snowfur wasn't. The young white queen was sat up in her nest, her swollen belly sticking out rather awkwardly as she tried to turn around and lick at a spot on her flank.

"Snowfur?" He asked, causing her to pause from her grooming and look over at him. "Can I ask you a question?" He kept his voice low as to not wake Leopardfoot.

"Of course, Tigerkit." She queen moved aside in her nest to allow him to climb in. She layed down, and he settled down comfortably next to her shoulder. "What is a kittypet?" He asked her after a heartbeat of hesitation.

Snowfur was quiet for a long moment, her eyes shifting around the den wall and carefully avoiding his questioning gaze. Finally, after planning her words, she turned to look at him. "A kittypet is a cat who lives with Twolegs." She told him simply.

"Why is that so bad?" Tigerkit further questioned.

"Well, they live a life of softness." She explained with a tilt of her head. "They don't hunt, and they don't fight. The life of a kittypet is lazy, and the complete opposite of a warriors'."

Tigerkit thought this over in his head. No hunting? No fighting? But that's what a warrior did! How could Pinestar abandon his important role in the Clan for a life of laziness? He realized why the Clan must hate him so much. "Well," He started aloud. "I won't let that happen to me, or my Clan."

"That's very good." Snowfur purred softly, giving him a soft lick on his head. "Now, why don't you go and keep Leopardfoot company when she wakes up? I'm sure she'll appreciate it." She helped him out of her nest, and sent him off in the direction of his mother. Tigerkit settled down beside the golden queen, and looked back at Snowfur with thoughtful eyes. _A kittypet,_ he reminded himself, _is the opposite of a warrior. I cannot be like that._


	4. Chapter 4

_It wasn't long though, before there were more kits in the nursery with me. Whitekit, Brindlekit, and Frostkit where their names, or more commonly known as Whitestorm, Brindleface, and Frostfur. I can still remember showing them around camp when Brindlekit and Frostkit were let out of the nursery for the first time. Goosefeather had snarled at me- that bat-brain! He told me to get away from him, like I was a disease or something. Looking back, he might have known of what I would become. I wonder why StarClan put all their faith in such a bee-brained cat._

"It's great that Robinwing finally let you out of the nursery." Whitekit purred as he walked forward, tail high in the air. "Now we can all play together!"

Tigerkit padded on beside the white kit, with Brindlekit and Frostkit trailing behind them. As it was their first time out of the nursery, they took in their new surroundings with wide eyes and fluffed up pelts.

"It's so big!" Brindlekit whispered in awe, turning her head to watch a couple warriors who padded in the opposite direction as them, both of the warriors sharing the weight of a plump, freshly caught rabbit. "Who are they?" She asked.

Tigerkit twisted around to see the cats she was watching. "Oh, that's just Fuzzypelt and Windflight. Windflight is a great hunter." Briefly, he eyed the rabbit hungrily, but his attention was drawn back to the conversation by Whitekit showing off the warriors den to the two younger kits.

"This is the warriors den! After you finish your apprentice training and get your warrior name, you will get to sleep here. The other day, I saw..."

As Tigerkit stood there and listened to Whitekit, his thoughts began to drift elsewhere. As his eyes skimmed over the two she-kits he realized that he was looking slightly _down_ at them. That's weird, he thought, looking sideways at Whitekit, who was now answering Brindlekit's questions. With surprise, he saw that he was looking slightly down at Whitekit too, who was over a moon old by now. A trill of excitement hit him. He wouldn't be called small anymore, he thought happily, remembering all the times the warriors had called him too weak or too small to survive alongside his sisters.

He was hardly listening as the group of kits continued onward, past the apprentice den and to where the medicine cat den was located. He was too caught up in his new realization to contribute to the conversation much. They were standing outside the entrance of the den though, with Whitekit explaining how the medicine cat heals the warriors after battle, when a cat stepped out of the den.

"Get away, you vermin!" Snarled Goosefeather, his fur sticking up wildly with his sudden appearance. Tigerkit crouched down with spiked fur, torn from his thoughts and startled by the sudden shouting. Beside him, Whitekit did the same, his eyes wide with shock as he stared upwards at the angry medicine cat. Tigerkit noticed with a shiver of fear that Goosefeather's eyes were only trained on him, and they narrowed as they Tigerkit met his gaze fearfully. The old cat hissed.

Then suddenly, Bluefur was in between the kits and Goosefeather. "What are you doing?" She rounded on the old healer in anger.

But Goosefeather didn't seem to even to see her. Instead, he flicked his tail violently in Tigerkit's direction and spat, "Get that creature out of my den!"

"I'm not in your den!" Tigerkit protested, standing straight now. Who did he think he was, yelling at him like that? Tigerkit seethed, glaring upwards at the medicine cat. He hadn't stepped paw in the medicine cat den, why was he so angry?

"Get him out of my clearing!" Goosefeather snarled instead, and Bluefur gave the healer a disgusted look. She turned around and swept the four kits together with her tail. "Off you go, little ones." She said gently, though her eyes continued to watch the crazed cat.

"What's the matter?" Featherwhisker burst into the clearing suddenly, almost knocking Tigerkit over in the process. Tigerkit spat angrily as the tom passed, but lead the other kits further away from the den. He stopped ten, just within earshot of their conversation, and crouched down to listen in.

"It's Goosefeather." Bluefur was hissing to the Featherwhisker. "He's frightening the kits."

There was a pause, and Tigerkit tried to shift from his spot to see into the den again. Finally, Featherwhisker spoke again. "Sorry," he apologized. "He's been having nightmares. They must have woken him while he was in the middle of a bad one."

"Nightmares?" Goosefeather growled, voice rising once more. "Only when I open my eyes and see _that_!" He turned his face to glare back at Tigerkit again, his yellow teeth bared in a snarl.

"I'll settle him down." Featherwhisker promised Bluefur. "You take the kits back to the nursery."

Bluefur turned with that, and padded over to where Tigerkit stood with the other three. He looked up at her with confusion as she started shooing them in the direction of the nursery.

"What did we do wrong?" Frostkit asked in a small voice, her fur still bristling with the fear from the encounter with the old medicine cat.

"Nothing." Bluefur promised her, voice still firm. "Goosefeather's just old, and sometimes he imagines things."

"I'm not imagining _that_!" Spat the gray cat from behind them, pointing a claw in Tigerkit's direction. Shaken by the gesture, Tigerkit paused in his steps to watch drool drip from Goosefeather's jaws, and his ears flatten against his head. "Keep that creature away from me!" And with that, he whipped around and stalked back into the shadows of the den, ignoring Featherwhisker's soothing voice on the way. His patchy tail let a furious flick at it disappeared with the rest of him back into the den.


	5. Chapter 5

_I quickly grew tired of the comments about me being so small- so weak. Even my own mother, who had ignored me for an entire moon after my sisters' deaths, fretted about me not being able to be apprenticed. Determined to show them, I snuck out of camp to hunt for my Clan. However, I somehow found myself on the ShadowClan border. Yes, Mosskit, there was a Thunderpath at the time. On the border though, I quickly realized that the scent I had been following was not prey- it was a fox. The fox attacked me on the border, but it was ShadowClan warriors that came to my rescue, not ThunderClan. I think that instance is what lead me to admiring ShadowClan and their strength so much. I realized that despite all the whispers and rumors about their Clan, a ShadowClan cat can still be kind. I wanted to rise above my own whispers too._

"Are you sure he is growing properly?" Tigerkit heard Leopardfoot ask from outside the medicine cat den. She was trying to keep her voice low, but Tigerkit had climbed out of his nest and padded across the den to eavesdrop on her conversation. "I know he was the runt of the litter, but he is still so small. After Mistkit and Nightkit, I thought he'd grow- but now I'm afraid he'd be too weak to be an apprentice, especially with this sickness hitting him!"

Tigerkit growled quietly at these words. Of course he'd be strong enough to become an apprentice! He has a couple more moons to go before his apprenticeship anyways! He could grow _lots_ by then! He felt the urge to go out and confront his mother himself, but paused as Featherwhisker spoke.

"He is still young. There is no reason to say he won't grow to the proper height or strength by the time of six moons." The medicine cat told her calmly. "And his sickness is already gone, we managed to catch it early. He can return to the nursery if he likes."

Tigerkit jumped with fright as he heard their pawsteps coming towards the entrance once more. They couldn't know he was listening! He bounded over to the large nest he had spent the past two days confined to, and tumbled over the top and landed in the center of it. He sat up right as Featherwhisker and Leopardfoot entered the den.

Featherwhisker looked down at Tigerkit, "Be thankful that the catmint worked so quickly." He bent down to give him a pleased sniff. "Your whitecough is cured and you can go play with your denmates again."

"Thank you!" Tigerkit leaped to his paws at these words and raced from the den. Outside though, he didn't return to the nursery, nor did he meet with his denmates. Instead, he sat along the camp wall and watched his mother. After her talk with Featherwhisker, Leopardfoot seemed to have forgotten about him again. She didn't head to the nursery to check if he had returned, she had gone to the fresh-kill pile instead and started talking with a couple other warriors. Shouldn't she still be fretting?

He seethed silently from where he sat at the edge of camp. How dare she completely ignore him for a moon, only to become worried when he gets sick? How dare she fret about his weakness like everyone in camp whisker about daily? Doesn't she know that he gets enough from the warriors? And now that he was released from the medicine cat den, she went right back to not caring.

He felt another growl rising in his throat. _Well, I'll show her!_ Standing abruptly, he began to make his way over to the dirtplace. From previous exploring, he knew of a secret tunnel along the dirtplace wall. He glanced around before stepping into the dirtplace, making sure no one was watching. When he was sure no one was, he held his breath and stepped into the dirtplace.

Quickly, he made his way over to the kit-sized hole along the wall and crouched down to squeeze through. The bramble thorns caught in his fur as he wriggled forward in the small place, but never once did he pause to pull them out. Finally, he emerged from the cramped tunnel and into the open forest. He looked around, delighted with his successful escape. Now to begin hunting!

Tigerkit padded off into the forest, not sure where to begin. The forest was so big! He gazed around at his surroundings with awe. The trees towered over them, their thick branches offering shelter from the sun. And the undergrowth snaked around him, yet he hopped over it easily. He could hear birds in the distance, squawking as they fought for food- and a squirrel, skittering up a tree just to his right.

He continued his walk for a long time, until he felt that he had gone far enough away from camp. He opened his mouth wide to take in the scents around him. After a few heartbeats, he scented mouse, however over it was a much stronger scent. It was thick and unpleasant, but instead of gagging, he found himself curious as to what it was. He'd never scented prey like _that_ before. Intrigued, he began to follow the scent.

As he followed it further away from camp, he began to hear a great rumbling sound that made his fur stand on end. At once, his pawsteps froze and his instincts told him to turn away. But as he stood there with his paws frozen, and his heartbeat pounding in his ears, he recognized his fear. _I'm afraid._ He thought, tail flicking nervously. But w _arriors are never afraid. I must prove that I am strong!_

Hesitantly, he padded on. He followed the unknown scent further away from camp, until the rumbling grew deafening, and a newer, much stronger stench rose up to choke him. He began to cough when he saw the trees part ahead of him.

He stepped out into an open stretch of grass, and saw that only a few kit lengths away from him was a wide expanse of hard, black surface. It looked solid and smooth, and the warm rays from the sun seemed to reflect off its surface. He paused to watch, curious of the path, but as he reached out to touch it, the rumbling grew increasingly louder and the ground began to shake. He sprang upwards with fright as a large, shiny-pelted creature raced across the path. It was so big!

The sound hurt his ears, and another wave of stench hit him in the face. His fur was on end, and he had completely forgotten about his original intention for coming here. As he caught his breath once more, he could faintly remember the warriors in camp talk about the ShadowClan border and the monsters that race on the "Thunderpath." Is that what this was? Was this a Thunderpath?

He stayed there for a little, watching the round-pawed creatures race to and fro, in the small stretch of open grass. Eventually though, when the most of his fear had worn off and his fur began to lay flat again, he stood. He began to pad along the edge of the black surface, never quite touching it. He wasn't sure which way was the back to camp anymore, but that didn't matter. Right now, he's on an adventure!

He hadn't gotten very far down along the black path before another new sight reached him. There was an odd red creature standing in the stretch of grass between the forest and the path. It was standing very still, with its white tip tail flicking very slightly, and its bright eyes watching him intently. They sat like that, staring at each other, for a long, tense moment. Then, the creature began to move forward.

Startled, Tigerkit shrank backwards. The creature had let out a low growl, and was now stalking forward with swift, sure pawsteps. Its ears had swiveled forward, and its hungry eyes had become excited. It was only a tail length away, with one paw raised to strike the trembling kit, when a yowl interrupted them.

"Get away!" Tigerkit looked to see a dark gray-and-white she-cat racing across the Thunderpath towards them. She thrust herself in between the fox and him, standing fiercely with her claws unsheathed. Her fur was standing up, and she advanced towards the red animal threateningly.

Tigerkit jumped, startled, as two more warriors pelted across the black surface, screeching battle cries, and leaped onto the grass to join their Clanmate. The red and white creature jumped back with an angered growl, its long and pointed fangs showing with unconcealed rage.

"You don't scare us!" The first warrior snarled, lashing out a paw to strike the creature. The animal snapped back at her, only to be met with another warrior's paws coming down on it's ears. The third warrior ducked low and aimed for its muzzle. The creature shook its head in pain, scattering bright droplets of blood on the ground around it.

Caught up in the excitement of the fight, his fright turned into interest, and Tigerkit found himself cheering for the warriors. "Go, warriors, go!" His eyes widened as he saw a pale ginger tom give the creature one last powerful blow to the head. The warrior dropped onto four legs once more and sprang backwards away from the snapping jaws. The animal snarled with frustration, then finally turned tail and vanished into the undergrowth.

Tigerkit rushed forward to meet his saviors. "Wow! You were great!" He told them excitedly. "The way you sliced his nose! And swiped his ears! I wish I could fight like that!"

The pale ginger tom padded forward. "What's your name?" He asked.

Tigerkit, in his excitement, hardly recognized that the tom didn't have ThunderClan scent. It was strong and bitter, but Tigerkit was too happy to care. He looked up at the tom with wide eyes, "Tigerkit." He answered the warrior proudly.

"Well, Tigerkit, one day you will be able to fight like us, if you listen to your mentor and train really hard. But you shouldn't even be out of camp. What if we hadn't seen you? That fox would have made fresh-kill out of you!"

"But he didn't!" Tigerkit said smugly, bouncing with his words. In the back of his mind, he realized that they must be ShadowClan cats. He remembered asking his mother what each Clan smelt like. "Because you saved me!"

The tom stared down at him, unimpressed. Finally, the warrior turned away. "Just be more careful from now on," he growled. Nodding to his two Clanmates, he began to lead them back across the Thunderpath and into their territory.

Tigerkit padded forward, trying to keep the warriors in his sight for as long as possible. "May StarClan walk your path!" He called, very grateful for the warriors who had saved them. The cats had only just reached the other side of the path and slipped into their forest when he shouted, "Thanks for rescuing me! ShadowClan will always be my friends! One day I'll help you, too!"


	6. Chapter 6

_Despite my slow growth though, Thistleclaw took a liking to me. I'm sure you three have heard of Thistleclaw, right? Snowfur's mate, Whitestorm's father? Yes, Adderkit, that would be him. Between the warriors' comments on my size, and me being comparing me to my father, Thistleclaw's interest in me grew, and he began to plan for me to become his apprentice._

Tigerkit exploded from the nursery with an irritated huff. He couldn't stand it in that den anymore! Since Spottedkit, Redkit, and Willowkit had been born, the nursery just wasn't nearly as quiet as it was before. The three kits found it funny to wander around the den and climb into anyone's nest! Not only that, but Frostkit and Brindlekit badgered him all day with questions and attempts to get him to play hide-and-seek.

And don't even get him started on Whitekit! His poor friend as been in such a depressing mood for the past few days, that Tigerkit could hardly stand to be around him anymore. Since Snowfur had died on the Thunderpath, Whitekit had been left alone and without a mother. He said very little and ate very rarely, and Tigerkit just did not know how to act around the tom anymore.

Outside in the fresh air, Tigerkit searched around for something to do. Part of him wanted to simply sulk on the edge of the camp, but another part of him itched to do something active. He would not waste the day sulking! His eyes scanned the camp until they fell on three warriors beside the fresh-kill pile. It was Thistleclaw, Adderfang, and Stormtail.

Tigerkit bounded over to them, and stopped to listen to their conversation from a tail length away. Maybe one of the warriors would teach him a fighting move, or maybe even the hunting crouch!

"... That's what she said at the last Gathering at least." Stormtail was meowing. "However, it could be different at this upcoming one. You never know how RiverClan might react to-" He paused as he felt Tigerkit's eyes watching him. He turned and saw the kit, "Oh, hello Tigerkit. Escaping the nursery again, aren't you?"

"Yes, Stormtail." Tigerkit nodded vigorously, and wasted no time in asking his question. "Will you teach me something? Please?"

Stormtail pretended to consider his request deeply. "I suppose I could." His whiskers twitched good-naturedly. "Alright, let's see your hunting crouch."

Tigerkit slipped into his best hunting crouch. He stalked forward a few paces, then leaped onto a mouse laying at the base of the fresh-kill pile. Despite it already being dead, he bit it for extra effect before turning around to see the reactions of the watching warriors.

"Your tail was sticking up in the air like a twig." Adderfang told him, though his eyes showed his amusement. "If you were out in the forest, you would have brushed some undergrowth and alerted your prey."

"Here, show me your crouch again and I'll fix it." Stormtail purred, and Tigerkit followed his orders. "You seem to be leaning to your left. Try to balance your weight evenly on all paws- yes, like that. Now, try to get the prey."

Tigerkit stalked forward once more, this time much more smoothly and balanced. His tail was held level with the ground behind him, and it made his steps much quieter. Though, it was hard not to let it move with his emotions. He paused, a tail length from his already caught prey, and then leaped. He landed a little clumsily that time, but the mouse was still directly between his paws. He bit it with a playful growth, then whipped around to get more critique from the warriors.

Thistleclaw looked mildly impressed, "You learn fast, Tigerkit." He nodded with thought, "Despite your size, I think you could become a great apprentice."

Tigerkit purred at his praise, and turned to practice his stalking again. He moved forward slowly and deliberately, focusing with all of his effort on keeping his pawsteps even and his tail still. Every now and then, Stormtail would fix his stance, but Tigerkit quickly grew proud of his newly learned skill. He couldn't wait to show Whitekit!

"I can already see Pinestar's adventurous spirit and ambition within you, Tigerkit." A voice made him pause midstep. He looked up to see Larksong, one of the elders, padding up to them. She paused at the fresh-kill pile to sniff curiously at a day-old squirrel before moving on in search of a fresher piece of prey. "It will make you strong one day."

A growl rose in Adderfang's throat. "Don't speak of that traitor here." He told her. "Pinestar is an embarrassment to the Clan- not a cat you should be proud of."

"If you had known Pinestar as a warrior, you would think otherwise." Larksong looked at him with deep disgust. "He was a loyal and brave warrior, worthy of all his nine lives."

Adderfang turned away from the elder rudely, "If he was such a great warrior, then why did he leave his Clan?"

Larksong simply picked up a bird and padded away, apparently not in the mood for a big argument with the tom. Thistleclaw snorted as she vanished into the elders' den. "I could be a better leader than Pinestar could have ever been. All I need is an apprentice." Adderfang and Stormtail murmured their agreement.

Just then, Tawnyspots padded up to them. "Thistleclaw, Adderfang, you are both on border patrol. Bring Dappletail with you." The two warriors nodded without complaint and went off in search of the she-cat. The deputy turned to Stormtail now, "You are joining my hunting patrol when the next one returns."

Now that the group of warriors were busy, Tigerkit found himself wandering back to the nursery. He ignored Brindlekit and Frostkit's questions as he entered the den, and instead padded over to his empty nest to lay by himself. Briefly, he wondered where Leopardfoot was, but he didn't give it much thought. His mind was more focused on Pinestar, and what Larksong had said.

Was he really like Pinestar? There's no way Pinestar could be the great warrior that she said he was, if he chose to abandon his Clan in the end. Larksong wasn't the only cat who still supported the old leader though, and that confused him. Leopardfoot supported him still, and so did a couple other warriors and elders. But the majority of camp was angry, and rightfully so in Tigerkit's eyes. If being a kittypet was so bad, then why would cats still look up to him after he became one?

His confused thoughts kept him up for a long time, and he pretended to sleep to keep Frostkit and Brindlekit away. Eventually though, as Leopardfoot returned to the nusery and settled down in the nest beside him, he finally fell asleep.


End file.
